Chelsea Brost

The value of our state and national parks are completely priceless. There is no where else in our country that has been as unchanged as the wilderness that lies within these parks. Our history lies within the park borders and if following generations take care of it, it will never be erased. Every state within our nation has a forest, canyon, lake, mountain, volcano, glacier or other beautiful piece of nature that is worth preserving. These wonderful treasures have been passed down and will continue to be passed down as an American legacy.

Both Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan knew they needed to express the importance of state and national parks to the rest of America. Over a period of six years, they filmed in some of natures most spectacular spots in order to deliver the message. Appearing on PBS, the documentary presented a story of people who had nothing in common, other than the land they loved and why it needed to be saved. Ken Burns Dayton Duncan

Each episode of the documentary covers a different time period. Episode 1: The Scripture of Nature From the discovery of Yosemite, to the first appearance by John Muir, Episode 1 covers the very first fight and drive for preserving National Parks. Episode 2: The Last Refuge As the National Parks are established, there are not out of danger. The rush to conquer and tame the land would become detrimental in keeping the parks idea alive. Episode 2 also shows the role President Theodore Roosevelt played in the preservation of America Episode 3: The Empire of Grandeur The untimely death of parks-enthusiast, John Muir, left the country wondering who would lead the fight for preservation. New-comer Stephen Mather accepted the challenge. Episode 4: Going Home The park systems begin to incorporate rangers. Battles begin for each individual national park. Episode Great Nature As America entered the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps was created to help the National Parks thrive. Episode 6: The Morning of Creation The fight continue for animal preservation in the parks. More and more parks are declared National Parks! Episode 1 : 1851 Episode 2: 1890 Episode 3: 1915 Episode 4: 1920 Episode 5: 1933 Episode 6: 1946

John Muir, Stephen Mather and Theodore Roosevelt played vital roles in keeping the park-dream alive. John Muir(April 1838-December 1914) was known as the father of the National Park System. After his death, Stephen Mather (July 1867-January 1930) took his place as the leader of the parks movement. President Theodore Roosevelt (October 1858-January 1919) was one of the lead supporters of the preservation movement. All three men made tremendous contributions to the National Park dream, and helped to convince many Americans that preservation was the only way to save their country.

Grand CanyonEvergladesAcadiaBiscayneDenali Mesa VerdeYosemite The Great Smoky Mountains YellowstoneKenai Fjords Although there are over 50 national parks within the United States, Ken Burn and Dayton Duncan picked 10 of the most beautiful spots around the country for their documentary.

Along with researching about the Parks Project, I was also fortunate enough to attend a field trip to the Lost Dutchman State Park. In the short hike up to Green Rock, I was amazed at how many felsic rocks I found, specifically, Scoria. Green Rock

Scoria is a felsic rock with small vesicles or holes all over it’s surface. Theses holes appear after the rock has been heated to a liquid or near liquid phase and then rapidly cooled. This process is most commonly an effect of a volcanic eruption. The scoria is heated by the volcanic activity and when the volcano erupts, the scoria is cool extremely fast.

Because of the abundance of scoria found along the trail to the Green Rock, it is safe to say that it is very possible The Lost Dutchman State Park is home to an inactive volcano!

Mt. Rainier National Park is named after it’s massive volcano Volcano named after Peter Rainier in 1972 Also known by the Native Americans as Talol, or Tacoma

Located southeast of Seattle, Washington, Mt. Rainier National park experiences cool and rainy weather all year round. Because the park is roughly 14,410 ft. above sea level, annual snowfall averages at 53.6 ft. Mount Rainier National Park encompasses 235,625 acres or 368 square miles. 97% of the park has been designated as Wilderness. Mt. Rainier National Park is split into five different regions: Paradise Longmire Sunrise Ohanapecosh Carbon River

Although the park is centered around a massive volcano, there are many other geological features such as glaciers, ice caves and springs GLACIERS-Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large, thickened ice masses. The Emmons Glacier is the largest in Mt. Rainier National Park ICE CAVES- Ice caves are similar to other caves other than the large amount of perennial ice. The most popular ice caves of Mt. Rainier are the Paradise Ice Caves. SPRINGS- Springs form whenever the water-table intersects the grounds surface. One of the many picturesque springs in the park is the Ohanapecosh River

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John Muir was most accurately described as a very influential naturalist and conservationist. Born in 1838, Muir lived in Scotland until 1849 when his family moved to New York. Leaves home at the age of 22 to exhibit his inventions Age 25, Muir takes his first foot journey from the Wisconsin River to the Mississippi 1866 Muir becomes invested in Yosemite National Park in California

Along with being a wilderness explorer, John Muir was also a writer. His published work help to illustrate both the beauty of Yosemite, Sequoia, Mount Rainier, The Petrified Forest, and The Grand Canyon National Parks, and the need to preserve them. His words inspired Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation programs. His work also became the outline for the Sierra Club. He held the title of Sierra Club President up until his death. Picture: John Muir met with Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite National Park in 1903

John Muir left behind a beautiful land that we as American s should strive to preserve. Many National Parks have been explored by John Muir himself and it’s safe to say he has left his mark. He is the reason these beautiful pockets of nature accessible to every person living here.. Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts. - John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, (1938), p. 337.

As I reflect on the journey that America has taken, I notice how much has changed; the definition of freedom, opinions, jobs, money, roles and life in general. But if you look specifically look at America’s National Parks, you’ll notice they haven’t really changed. That’s the beauty of the park system. It’s keeping an original piece of America alive. Many things will change in the future. As long as Americans do what they can to protect the parks, the natural beauty won’t be one of the changes.

KEN BURNS DOCUMENTARY Ken Burns Photo ken_burns_445x260.jpg Dayton Duncan Photo g ken_burns_445x260.jpg g Theodore Roosevelt content/uploads/2012/10/theodore- roosevelt2.jpg content/uploads/2012/10/theodore- roosevelt2.jpg John Muir ons/f/ff/John_Muir_by_Taber_%26_Boyd,_c 1880.jpg ons/f/ff/John_Muir_by_Taber_%26_Boyd,_c 1880.jpg Stephen Matherhttp:// exhibit/people/images/mather.jpghttp:// exhibit/people/images/mather.jpg Acadia content/uploads/2011/06/Acadia-National- Park.jpg content/uploads/2011/06/Acadia-National- Park.jpg Biscayne content/uploads/2012/07/biscayne-national- park_ArMMg_48.jpg content/uploads/2012/07/biscayne-national- park_ArMMg_48.jpg Denali k/TY_ncmBT5JI/AAAAAAAAAIw/hcP3KLX6 MSQ/s1600/0-fondos-escritorio-cataratas jpg k/TY_ncmBT5JI/AAAAAAAAAIw/hcP3KLX6 MSQ/s1600/0-fondos-escritorio-cataratas jpg Everglades GreatPicture.com everglades- national-park39s-mangrove-forests.jpg GreatPicture.com everglades- national-park39s-mangrove-forests.jpg Grand Canyon nd.jpg nd.jpg Great Smoky Mountains content/uploads/2013/03/GreatSmokyMount ainsNationalPark.jpg content/uploads/2013/03/GreatSmokyMount ainsNationalPark.jpg Mesa Verde -content/uploads/2011/04/Mesa-Verde- National-Park.jpg -content/uploads/2011/04/Mesa-Verde- National-Park.jpg Yellowstone content/uploads/2009/04/yellowstone- national-park.jpghttp://famouswonders.com/wp- content/uploads/2009/04/yellowstone- national-park.jpg Yosemite wysiwyg/1400/images/Yosemite%202.jpg wysiwyg/1400/images/Yosemite%202.jpg Kenai Fjords /kenaifjordsnationalpark.jpg /kenaifjordsnationalpark.jpg FIELD TRIP SCORIA PHOTO hank1/images/scoria.jpg hank1/images/scoria.jpg LAST SLIDE PHOTO 90_1cef276ca9.jpg 90_1cef276ca9.jpg NATIONAL PARK Opening Photo 07/mt-rainier-f.jpg 07/mt-rainier-f.jpg Map washington.com/media/legacy/WA/images/ maps/Mount-Rainier-map-small.gif Map2 Images/Washington_State.gif Ice caves QUAJtx3KeI/AAAAAAAAAEo/oVy- FpkbL_s/s400/ice_cave.jpg Glaciers mmons_intro.jpg Springs match.com/views/images/gallery/Ohanapec osh_River_Mt_Rainier_National_Park_Was hington.jpg Interesting pictures: Top left content/uploads/2010/12/Hidden_Lake_in_ Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Washington. jpg Top Right aradise_river_mount_rainier_national_park _washington_us.jpg Bottom Left aradise_river__mount_rainier_national_par k__washington_us.jpg Bottom Right medium-large/ohanapecosh-river-on-mount- rainier-rich-leighton.jpghttp:// washington.com/media/legacy/WA/images/ maps/Mount-Rainier-map-small.gifhttp://tri-city.com/Main/- Images/Washington_State.gif QUAJtx3KeI/AAAAAAAAAEo/oVy- FpkbL_s/s400/ice_cave.jpg mmons_intro.jpghttp:// match.com/views/images/gallery/Ohanapec osh_River_Mt_Rainier_National_Park_Was hington.jpg content/uploads/2010/12/Hidden_Lake_in_ Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Washington. jpg aradise_river_mount_rainier_national_park _washington_us.jpg aradise_river__mount_rainier_national_par k__washington_us.jpg medium-large/ohanapecosh-river-on-mount- rainier-rich-leighton.jpg JOHN MUIR Opening photo: John Muir and TR / / Muir /10/portrait-john-muir-photo.jpg /10/portrait-john-muir-photo.jpg